


The Missing Speedster

by PrincessAmericaChavez



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Fix It Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-14
Updated: 2013-11-14
Packaged: 2018-01-01 11:20:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1044226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessAmericaChavez/pseuds/PrincessAmericaChavez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team set off to find Wally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hope

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, my fix-it-fic for Young Justice.

"Remember when you said we would laugh about it some day?"

Artemis asks, looking at him. “I’m still waiting for that day to come.”

Dick doesn’t look away from the screen. The night is fresh in Blüdheaven, it’s only been a couple of weeks since New Year’s. The silence is not tense, but she’s nervous and feels the need to talk.

"When are you coming back to the team?"

"After I find him."

"Are you really  _that_  sure that he’s still alive?” she whispers.

"Aren’t you?" he asks, finally looking at her.

She sights. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

Artemis always wished she had Dick’s hope. Ever since they where children, running away from deathly robots, with the lives of all their friends on the line, he never lost trust in himself —or her. 

"I bet," he says, barely smiling, "when he comes back from wherever he is, Wally is gonna bring back a hell of a souvenir."

She laughs softly and sadly. Dick smiles back at her, with warm blue eyes she’s only known for a couple of years.

Finally, the computer starts beeping. The screen displays: ANALYSIS COMPLETE.

"Now," Dick says leaning over the keyboard, "lets see what this Crystals actually do."

 

* * *

He’s been reading for several minutes.

Artemis looks at him, fidgeting with an arrow. She wants to interrupt him  _so_ badly, but she’s worried if she does he’ll have to start reading all over again. She can see in his eyes that he’s read the information on the screen several times. It must be hard to understand, because he starts mumbling the words again and again under his breath.

"So?" she finally lets out.

Dick starts laughing.  _Laughing_ of all things. He runs his fingers through his hair. The look on his face, however, is painful and his laughter a bit too hysterical.

"Dick, what’s so funny?!" she demands.

"Nothing, it’s not funny at all," he giggles.

"Dick!"

"Sorry, sorry," he says. He takes a deep breath and finally calms down. "You are right, it’s not funny. It’s  _ironic_.”

"What are you talking about? What does the analysis say?"

She didn’t dare to ask him the real question: _Is Wally alive?_

"It says there are traces of Zeta radiation."

She stared at him blankly, while he waited for her to react.

"Don’t you get it?" he puts his strong hands over her shoulders.

Artemis shakes her head.

"Remember the exercise? When you disappeared? Wally kept yelling about how the Zeta radiation proved you were alive. Of course, the mission was set to fail, but he was so sure about it. He was a genius, he  _understood_ this things. If he said so…” he rambles while shaking her shoulders, much like KF had shaken his back then.

"Wait," she stops him,"are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"I think he is alive."

She looks at him wide eyed. His words echo through her body, sending a shiver down her spine. Artemis feels tears running down her face. She cleans them up with the back of her hand. It’s odd, she thinks, how she’d never cried tears of happiness before.

"What do we do now?"

"Back then, he never gave up hope. He never gave up looking," Dick says.

"And neither will we," Artemis concludes.

"We will find him."

They share a determined look.


	2. Their Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick and Artemis share the news.

“Are you certain about this?” Kaldur asks.

Dick feels the eyes of their teammates on them, and doubts only for a second. He  _is_ sure. Not because of the evidence, but because he believes it wholeheartedly. Yet, he answers:

“The analysis came back with traces of Zeta-radiation. It means there was some kind of tele-transportation involved. Like our Zeta-tubes.”

“So you think he’s alive,” Conner asks letting his crossed arms fall to his sides.

“Yes,” Artemis finally replies.

They both look at the team.  _The_ team.  _Their_ team. Only their closest friends. Kaldur, Conner, M’gan, Zatana and Rocket. They all look at them with disbelief.

“Alright, so what do we do?” Megan finally asks.

Artemis smiles. Her friend is onboard. They can see in her eyes a spark that tells them she will hold to whatever hope there’s left.

“Look for him,” she says.

“I’m in,” Rocket says with a smile. “Where do we start?”

“I can try a tracking spell,” Zatana says. “It may take a while to get ready, I haven’t done for years, but I know I can do it.”

Dick shoots her a thankful look. He knows what memories that spell brings back to her.

“M’gan and I are friends with Adam Strange,” Conner says knitting his brows, “if you give us the information from the analysis we can ask him about it.”

“Yes! He even knows about Zeta-tube connections with other planets. And, even if he can’t, maybe Sardath will be able to help,” Megan burst.

“Kal’ and I can talk to Mr. Dorado about his research in S.T.A.R. Labs,” Rocket offers.

Aqualad is serious, even more so than usual, but he nods stiffly. After a few silent seconds, their leader asks:

“How about you two?”

“We were planning on talking to Blue Beetle,” says Artemis.

“His scarab may be able to tell us more about this Reach devises.”

“Are you sure this scarab is to be trusted?” Kaldur asks darkly. “It has already betrayed us once.”

“It’s completely out of the Reach’s control now,” Zatana asures them.

“Alright,” Kaldur says, “then we all have our missions.”

“If Wally is out there, we will find him,” M’gan asures them with a smile, and for a second she’s her giggly, positive, naive self again.


	3. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaldur, being the most level-minded of the team, is worried about their expectations.

"Nightwing, a word?" Kaldur asks while the rest of the team starts going their separate ways.

None of them speak much as they walk away. Even though they are all equally excited by the perspective of finding Wally, they are also equally scared of what they might find.

"Sure, Kal’," Dick answers trying to sound as relaxed as he can.

He knows the tone Kaldur is using. He noticed his friend and leader was not completely on board with the idea. Artemis has her mind too tied up with their own mission to even wonder about it.

"My friend, I must express my deepest concern," Kaldur says when they are alone. "You have set high hopes on our teammates, but we both must acknowledge the fact Wally being alive is a possibility far from probable."

"Kal’ do you remember the failsafe mission?" Dick asks after a few seconds of silence.

"Indeed, I do. I remember the pain of Artemis’ death, and Wally’s despair, and I remember his  _denial_. And I remember  _you_ telling Kid Flash he was holding to false hopes of her being alive,” Kaldur says slowly.

Every sentence is well-thought, carefully said to make his point without hurting him.

Dick snorts. He drops himself on the couch of Dina’s new office, which they use when they need a bit of extra privacy from the rest of their teammates. It just feels  _safe_  there.

"Not that part," he says. "The part where  _I_ screwed up.”

He pulls his domino mask of his face. Even when most of the original team know his name, he still isn’t comfortable walking around the Watch Tower without it. 

"You did not —"

"I did, K. I was the leader of our team for a few hours and I managed to get everyone killed ‘for the sake of the mission’," he says, noticing the dryness on his voice. "I remember Wally staying with me until the end, and dying with him. I remember how guilty I felt about all of it for months."

"It was only a training exercise," Kaldur says.

"Except, this time it was real. I was leader of the Team. I asked Artemis to go undercover. I practically begged Wally to take part of the mission. They were happy on their own, but I couldn’t help feeling we needed them on the team.  _I_ need them. If I hadn’t been so selfish, he wouldn’t have—”

"Dick, we both knew Wally too well to believe that. You know he would have wanted to help either way."

"Does it really matter?" Dick asks dryly. "My team, my call, my responsibility. I  _have_ to fix this.”

"This is not the way of  _fixing_ it, my friend. You are in denial.”

"Like hell I am!" Dick rises his voice. "In a world where Ra’s al Ghul comes back from the death dosens of times a year and the league comes and goes between dimensions in a regular basis… where there’s magic and speedsters and aliens… I think I am entitled to refuse to believe Wally West is death until proven otherwise!"

Dick realizes he stood up when Kaldur puts a hand on his shoulder.

"My friend," he says with sadness,"I am afraid you are not used to dealing with mourning. When Tula —" he stopped as if he couldn’t finish the sentence. "You had lost teammates before, but never had you lost someone you truthfully loved.”

"You are wrong," Dick answers bitterly, falling back to the couch. 

He thinks of a circus tent and broken ropes.

"I have lost too many people I love. I’m just not willing to give up on  _this one.”_

 _“_ I understand, but you must not permit this search to consume your life. Remember what it did to Roy.”

"I know, I know. I understand what worries you," he says standing up and putting his mask back on. "I saw it happen to Batman, what it has done to him. I saw it happen all over again after Jason’s death."

He has to swallow back the bitterness of the thought. 

"I won’t let it happen.  _I won’t become him_ ,” he assures him, and himself. “But I’m not giving up on Wally. I will find him. I will bring him home. I will fix this.”

Kaldur only seems to worry more as he sees hope grow on Dick’s voice, mixing with desperation. 

"What if there is no fixing, Dick?" he asks sadly.

Dick doesn’t answer. He frowns and breaths heavy at the possibility. The thought is oppressing in his chest. He feels like he is drowning. He feels like he is  _falling._

"Don’t let the search for  _his_ life, consume  _yours,”_ Kaldur mutters, pinning him with his ocean-gray eyes.

"That’s what best pals are for," Dick says.

Luckily, he shuts up before his voice breaks. The mask hides the tears he only barely manages to hold. Nevertheless, Kaldur seems to notice the change in his voice, the way his shoulders fall and his fists shake. Suddenly, Kaldur sees the same Robin who cried after the failed training mission when he thought no one else was in the Cave. 

"If Wally is out there, we  _will_ find him,” he feels the need to reassure him, even when he feels it goes against his better judgment. “I only want you to be prepared for the possibility that he might not.”

Dick nods silently and leaves the room.


End file.
